Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-10
THE PANHANDLE.
Stock and Crop 0utlook-The Adspta.
ton OF the Panhandle TO the
Raising OF Small Grain.
Fine stock Support Easily Found-Rtports
frcm tho Several Counties of tho
Future Grain Field.
Kansa. city Tlmes

effect on the crops, ii may prove of in
terest to your readers to learn something
of the condition OF these matters in the
Panhandle Of Texas, which IS soon 10 be
connected with Kansas City, and with
whom she will undoubtedly do a large
business.
As is generally known, until the past
year the Panhandle Of Texas has been re-
garded solely as q stock country, and no
attempt has been made to raise crops
other than forage on which to winter
| beef steers, or at times g small garden
patch OF one or two acres was planted
with vegetables, with which to supply
the hands who worked on the place. This
| year, however, with the development of
the country by the building OF the Fort
| Worth and Denver City Railway, more
attention has been given to farming, and
the great numbers of immigrants pouring
! IN from the different states in the Union
have given en- opportunity TO observe the
varied styles Of farming pursued, and the
different crops each seeks 10 raise sue
cessfully. On farms adjoining each other,
with precisely the same conditions Of
soil, subsoil and moisture, | ind the one
making an amount of crop which is &
| handsome return on the labor and money
expended, while the other barely ekes
out a miserable existence. Small grain
also gives large yields. Barley, favor
tie crop in California, can be grown with
equal success in this country; it has
always proved a good substitute for
corn and by many is preferred as food
for stock, especially in the southern
country. The condition Of the crop
north Of the thirty-fourth parallel of
south latitude has been good average
as compared with any other state in the
Union. WheaL wds generally planted q
little late on poorly titled soil, lily cult
yated and used as a pasture ground until
late in the spring. The Dat crop il all
cases run from thirty to fifty bushels per
| acre, and in some cases as high as seven
ty. What few crops of barley were
planted were purely experimental, and
these turned out from eighteen TO thirty
four bushels per acre. There is, however,
one certainty regarding crops: Those ma
turing early SAY about the middle OF
June produce largely, and there is no
doubt that this will prove very success
| full country in which to raise small gram.
At AL seasons of the year, the soil in
the Panhandle of Texas is favorable for
the production OF mangel wurZel and the
artiChoke, both of which are known as
being the feed for cattle and hogs The
elevation OF the Panhandle makes it very
favorable for hog breeding purposes Its
adaptabilIty to cattle raising has been
demonstrated by years Of experience.
There is nothing for the farmer that
pays so we'll ct this present time as hog
breeding, ss no country in the universe
is probably better adapted than this to
the raising of tubers and such grain as
the hog is fsttened upon. The amount
Of traffic that could De controlled
BIZ Kansas City in this product
Ess0ne would be enormous, and proper
Asttention devoted TO the conditions of
4 this country and encouragement and ex-
i planation of this fact to settlers, to many
/ of wnom the idea is quite new, would
| meet with large repayment.
The mangel Wurzel raises from twelve
End half to twenty tons per acre, and
the artichoke from 800 to 1900 bushels
per acre. As the artichoke after the first
sowing needs no cultivation, and the
Emangel wurZel but very little, they will
undoubtedly prove "a fine paying crop
Quite number of parties moving into
the Panhandle are bringing the best breed
who have maintained hogs for the past
three or four years have received large
returns from their outlay.
The Jerusalem artiChoke (Helianthus
tuberosum) is the best variety of the
species, and mas top resembling q sun.
| flower, which cattle eat and fatten on
very rapidly. The root or tuber, some
what resembling q potato, is relished by
hogs, and they root up the ground in al
. directions in search of their favorite
food, thus not only CuItivatiDg the ground
! but fatteuing themselves on this plant
The production is SO large and attended
, with so little effort, and the soil of the
Panhandle is so well adapted to its pro
pagation, that it may well be looked or
as one of the great feeders from which
| the packing houses of Kansas City will
derive great portion eff theil
material. The beeves fattened OF
l the tops of this plant can bt
turned in to eat it in the early fal
5 before grass fails, and will furnish sue
cessiye shipments of cattle in fine condi
ton in carload lots, instead of waiting
as we now do, for the grass season, il
= which they are fattened and large herd
rushed on the market at one time, which
, has On undoubted tendency to depress it
The difference in the manner Of feedin,
, that l speak of, would give stead,
stream OF cattle and hogs pouring int
your factories the year round, with prob
ably the exception Of the months of Jul
6 and August. AS this product would b
5 constantly increasing, it is difficult to ap
!. proyimste the proportions it woul
!. reach, but once understood and adopte
8 by the farmers l can safely say you woul
have to add largely to your presen
facilities to take care of it.
q From Vernon, in Wilbsrger county
= about 100 cars of wheat will b
s shipped, and after careful observation
O Is estimated there are in the county G5
l farms, with an average of seventy-fv
!, acres per farm in cultivation. The prln
< cipal crops are wheat, oats, millet anC
e sorghum. Corn has in many instance
been planted, but has proved so uncertai
a ias to put it in much disfsvor with tn
farmer. A few acres Of cotton have bee
experimentally planted and the stand
good. Fine peaches are grown in orchard
from three to four years old. One ma
). thresned out eighty-six bushels OF whes
from eight acres OF land. On snothe
3 farm twenty-seven bushels to the acr
It WAS threshold on still another thirty-tw
u bushels Of wheat per acre WAS garnereC
An average WELD OF wheat on seventeen